L8 APEKS

Hey gang,

I have to re-locate my car to put it in storage for a while while I'm working on getting the motor together.

I have to put in it my grandma's garage which is about 12 miles away. I'd prefer to use a tow dolly because it will be cheaper, easier and lighter...but is that gonna damage anything (ie, LSD / transaxle) by rolling the rear end?

Do I need a full trailer?

Let me know. Thanks!

Predator

As long as the tranny is in neutral, shouldn't be a problem. But if you'r conserned, tow it backward with the front wheels on the ground.

Yabo

would towing it backward represent a problem as far as teh wheels turning unwantedly?

Mike1982

Just watch out for the front/back hitting the ground. Don't want to hit a hard bump and watch you bumper on the car skidding away! That would suck.

Dave

Towing backwards might not work due to the limited ground clearance at the front air dam. I've heard conflicting verdicts on weather or not towing with the rear wheels on the ground causes damage. The best bet might be to pull the driveshafts (halfshafts if you prefer) so that there is no chance of damage to the diff.

Jfrahm

I thought with dollies you needed to keep the steering wheel unlocked so the steering worked. If you put the rear wheels on the dolly it might not steer.

Jay W

I pulled my 944S home on a dolly with the rear wheels on the ground.

1) I hit a bump and the chrome tailpipe got smashed flat on the bottom, as well as the lowest part of the spare tire well.

2) Keep the steering wheel locked even when towing the car facing forward, otherwise the car will fishtail all over the place and the front fenders of the car can make contact with the trailer wheels/fenders (Actually found this out pulling a 1958 Corvette, I wasnt happy)

3) I towed the 944 25 miles and it didnt hurt the manual (Non LSD) transmission. Damage occurs in automatic transmissions because the fluid is pumped by the input of the engine, not the turniing of the wheels.

4) I got the car up on the dolly, but the front air dam wasnt on the car because it was wrecked. I really dont know if the air dam would hit the dolly if it were there. I would guess that it probably would unless you use extra wood as ramp-helpers to cut down on the angle of the ramps.

Predator

I towed my car over 1800 miles backward with no problems, and, no, it did not unwind the miles. Yes, when backwards, you must keep the steering wheel locked. Also make sure your hatch is secure. If it comes loose, it's gone(common sense).

adie

I really need to start making 1 'man' tow kits, I just unbolt the front bumper and bolt on an 'A' frame, the point of the 'A' has a tow hitch, the 4 wheels stay on the ground and the steering remains unlocked. It tows like a dream especially at high speeds (80-100mph) and looks real cool if you tow with another Porsche, like 2 cars racing, I've had police pull along side at 70 mph, look at the driverless car and then slowly pull forward to check out the mechanism, then drive off. The car becomes a 4 wheel'd trailor so not restricted to towing speeds, I'm looking at finding a dry coupling connector for the brakes so i can make it into a braked system as my tow car has no brake servo fitted, the only time I thought it was a little hard to stop was when I picked up a 928 and put the spare engine in the boot of the 944, with 2 heavy guys in the car as well made for an interesting journey, however the frame works out at $35 and you can tow anywhere without worrying about scraping.

Jim 944S

Hi Adie!

That sounds like something I've been wanting to make up, myself. I'd like to be able to tow from the mounts behind the bumper without removing the bumper itself. Goal is to fabricate from aluminum, all the small fittings needed so I can carry them on a trip and then just use stock tubing to complete the tow bar when and if needed on the road.

Had I had that system when I broke down in Kentucky, I could have saved myself several hundred dollars in trailer and truck rental by flat towing (the factory says its ok!) with a rental pickup truck.

Any chance you could post a diagram or pictures of your rig?

Jim 1987 944S

RedRooster

I did what Adie suggest with my old race car, towed it with the Honda Odyssey. Its a great way to keep the towed weight down. Did not have any effect on the race car. It was a front wheel drive... take a deep breath... Dodge Omni... Lots of fun around the track... ole' Shelby knew what he was doing.
Anyway, yes tow it with all 4 wheel down and the steering wheel unlocked. I tried it with the steering wheel tied down... not good. Just be sure to brake early.
No problmes towing to the track, one was 4 hours away the other 7 hours.

Attached are some pics of my tow bar. weight a ton! there are pivots where the bracket attaches to the bumper.

If anyone comes up with brackets or a way to mont with the bumper still on, please let me know as I will be towing the 944 when it goes racing (hopefully next year).

hth.
Shaun.

RedRooster

Detail picture of pivot.

MichelleJD

Just remember that if you're going to rent the dolly, U-haul won't rent for a 944. Some people tell you to lie about what you are pulling, but any liablility on U-haul's part is out the window if you do. Disregard this if you have your own dolly

adie

I'll have to wait untill my teailer comes here, mine is much less heavy duty, i have one I made here that is collapsable just in case. My Uk cars have fixed bumpers so i made extensions that came through where the black caps are and have a quick release system on the bracket that also holds the bumper on, 2 pins and the bumper is off, and the frame is on, I also have a recieving socket in the front valance that uses the rear lights as a trailer board. I have thought about keeping the bumper on but there is some deflection when towing this ways and I think it will cause some damage so as mine just pulls off in seconds I just keep it off when towing, I'll try and post some pics if this thread is still alive when I unpack my container.

P944forScott

When I helped a friend tow his 66 Pontiac he rented a flatbed trailer... I think it was about $75